Traditional
by Team Hellfire
Summary: (AU) Down on her luck with relationships and life in general, Raven finds an unlikely friend in her cute, quirky neighbor. But as their relationship grows, will he become more than just a friend to her? (Co-written with Bleeding Writer and Xaphrin)
1. Traditional

**Traditional  
** Chapter One

 _Shit. Shit. Shitshitshit!_

Raven didn't even have time to react. She felt her ankle roll underneath her as she heard an angry crack from her shoe, and her body weight teetered like a top on its last spin. Yelling loud enough for it to echo down the empty street, she pitched forward and fell onto the pavement, her hands barely catching herself as she hit the ground with a sickening noise. Her skin yanked and pulled with the force, and she was pretty sure that she had bruised her entire forearm. Raven cursed and pressed her forehead to the sidewalk, praying that this was all a really, _really_ bad dream.

Her eyes opened.

It wasn't.

Raven couldn't believe it. It was like something out of a bad romantic comedy, the poor little heroine left brokenhearted after a bad break up, waiting for the hero to find her and make her right again. Only this was no comedy, and she wasn't laughing, and there _certainly_ was no handsome knight to pick her up and set her right. No, instead she was left to lay there on the dirty sidewalk outside her apartment, with a broken high heel, and hearing his parting words echo through the silence in her head as if they were left on replay.

 _"_ _I just think we should see other people."_

 _"_ _I'm not right for you and you know it."_

 _"_ _You're a great girl, but we're headed in different places…"_

 _"_ _You'll find someone better suited for you."_

It was all so _disgustingly_ cliché that she thought she might actually vomit. It was scripted and rehearsed and completely ingenuine, and it left Raven feeling like someone pulled the rug out from underneath her feet and the heart from her chest. Not that she ever anticipated her life with him would have been perfect, but she honestly thought he'd at least give it more effort for more than just a few months.

She fought against the tears building in her eyes, and pulled herself up onto her knees, staring down at her scraped and bruised legs with a low, exhausted sigh. This day just needed to be over with. The sooner she could just get into her apartment and get into her own bed, the sooner she could forget that this day ever happened. And maybe forget that the entire world had ever existed.

Kicking off her heels, she dropped them into the nearest trashbin and made her way through the small courtyard to her apartment building, staring up the windows lit with warm, yellow glow. They were all bright and beautiful, and many of them had couples watch TV and snuggling, making dinner, being-

Raven's eyes and mind skidded to a halt and she could practically hear the screeching sound in the back of her head as her breath was knocked right from her lungs. Was she _actually_ seeing this? _This_. Of all the things she could _possibly_ have seen at this exact moment. Three stories up, two windows in… there, right in front of a window, the blinds raised proudly, stood a man.

Completely and utterly naked.

And good _lord_ it should have been illegal to be built like that.

He had one thigh propped up on the windowsill as he fidgeted with something in his hands, completely unaware that Raven was standing three stories below him watching him move around as if he were a very, _very_ interesting movie. She licked her lips and let her eyes follow every line of his Adonis-like body. Lithe, toned muscles, like those of a gymnast, roped up and down the length of of his arms before stretching across his chest and ending in a set of abs that Raven could have washed her panties on. Her stare drifted lower to that fine line of hair starting just below his navel, and framed by the perfect V leading down to-

Raven blushed and pulled back, her eyes widening as he turned to face the window fully. A perfectly arched eyebrow raised up towards his hairline as his stare turned down to face her. She looked up at him, watching in horror as water slid down that sharp, angled chest, dripping over the curves and hollows of his abs before tangling in that interesting trail of hair. His smile curled up at one edge and he leaned against the window frame.

She could only stare, completely entranced with the sight in front of her.

His chuckle echoed between the two wings of Raven's apartment building, and he called out to her, "Do you like what you see?"

Raven's face burned bright red and she quickly looked away, staring at her feet as she started to head toward the front door, throwing up her hand to hide her embarrassment from him. She just needed to get in the door. She _really_ didn't need to think about his broad chest, or his strong arms, or his washboard abs, or his narrow hips, or his-

"You know, normally I charge for a view like this."

Raven's bare feet stopped on the pavement and she whipped around, meeting his laughing eyes again.

He leaned out the window a little, grabbing onto the frame as he inched over the edge of the building and closer into the courtyard. "But you're pretty cute so I'll cut you a deal. How about you take me out for a cup of coffee instead?"

Raven's mouth fell open and her cheeks darkened even more as her stare glided back down his chest and back up again. Unable to respond to his bright, echoing laughter, she raced for the door, fumbling with her keys as she reached the threshold. As her key slid in the lock, she heard him call out to her again.

"The name's Jason, Princess… I just moved in today!"

She looked over her shoulder as he gave her a little wave.

Oh _god_. What kind of neighbor did she have now?

* * *

Bleeding Writer and I (Xaphrin) have lost ourselves in AUs that we write on Tumblr. So, we thought it might be nice to put them all into one place. This particular one gets a little racy at times, but won't get super dirty for a while, and we'll give you a heads up before that happens. So until then, we'll keep it listed at "T"

Anyway, I hope you enjoy, feel free to leave a review! Thanks!


	2. Little Bird

**Traditional  
** Chapter Two: Little Bird

Raven woke up the next morning staring at the ceiling as if it was her only solace in the world, trying to ignore the heavy sinking feeling in her chest. She couldn't exactly remember what her dreams had been about, but there was the definite memory of those glacial blue eyes, and that thin smirk that she had once considered charming and mysterious, but now seemed nothing more than cruel and sinister - like a snake lying in wait. She must have dreamt of _him_. Raven threw a hand over her eyes, letting go of a sigh so heavy that it threatened to shake the walls of her apartment.

She had never considered him the perfect boyfriend, but he was intelligent and reserved, and they had always had very good, deep conversations about subjects and topics they both liked. There was never a time when Raven _couldn't_ see herself with him, and she had always imagined that he did too, but this break up had come rolling out of her blind spot. It felt a bit like she'd been chewed up and spit out.

She needed to get up and do something with herself, or she would be tempted to lay here and brood all morning. Sighing again, she swung her legs over the edge of her bed and walked from her bedroom into the kitchen, setting the kettle on to boil as she chose the perfect tea from the cupboard. Her fingers hovered over the little green tin of expensive loose tea he had given her, and with an annoyed curse, Raven threw it into the garbage and chose something far more sensible. Whatever she could do to keep him from her as far away from her thoughts as possible.

Looking out the window, she could see across the courtyard and into-

 _Oh, god_.

There, standing in front of his window, was her new neighbor… _completely naked again_. The morning sun entered their courtyard and seemed to bounce off his entire body, lighting him up in a strange, heavenly glow. He looked positively… _gorgeous_. Raven licked her lips and watched as he sipped his coffee and stared at a folded newspaper in his hand.

And then his eyes flicked up to see her watching him shamelessly.

Raven's cheeks flushed brightly and she felt herself jerk back, as he fully turned to look at her. His lips tugged up into a teasing smile and he offered her a small wave. Unable to think of a reason not to, Raven's hand moved of its own accord and she waved back. He laughed and reached out of the edge of his window to grab something next to him. A few seconds passed and Raven watched as he held up a sketch pad in front of him.

 _Morning, Princess._

Raven's eyes widened and she looked from the note to his face and back again. Was he _really_ doing this? Was he actually writing her _notes_ from the _window_?

He grinned up at her before scribbling something down again.

 _So, about that coffee?_

Her cheeks flushed and she continued to stare, trying to think of something - _anything_ \- that she might be able to say that wouldn't make her look like a complete idiot. When she didn't respond, he cocked his head to the side and watched her confused expression with a strange curious interest. A few more minutes ticked by and he scribbled something down again.

 _OK, no coffee this morning. How about a number?_

Raven heard her kettle starting to scream in the kitchen, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from his little notes filling the white page pressed against his window. Her fingers itched to reach for her phone, but instead she just stood here and watched his cocky smile fall a little as he waited for a response. When all he seemed to get was Raven staring at him, he pursed his lips and pulled the sketch pad down before writing something else on it.

 _How about MY number?_

Raven stared at the phone number following the question, and she managed to pull herself out of the shock, turning away from the window to stumble for her phone. Glancing over her shoulder, she entered in his phone number, fingers shaking as he continued to smile at her from his place in front of the window.

 _Put on some clothes._

She hit send and quickly pulled the kettle off the stove, trying to push him out of her mind. But her phone buzzed and she jumped, looking over at her phone lying on the counter. She nearly dropped her mug, and she felt her heart jump into her throat. Oh no, what did she just _do_ …? Preparing herself mentally, she swiped her phone open and looked at her text messages.

 _Never._

There was a quick pause before another text message came through.

 _I don't suppose there's a name that goes along with those demands though? I can't be calling you 'Princess' forever._

Her face darkened and she texted him back.

 _Raven._

She edged to the window again, poking her head around the frame just a little to watch him fidget with his phone. Her eyes followed the long line of his shoulder down his arms to his large hands, practically engulfing the phone as he tapped the screen with careful hands. Her eyes trailed down his chest to his abs, his hips, and then-

Raven's face flushed brightly as her phone buzzed again ripping her from her shameless staring at _all_ of him. She pulled her head from around the edge of the window and back against the wall, staring up at the ceiling as she silently cursed herself. She had been eyeing him again, and that was quite possibly the _last_ thing she needed right now. Groaning, she glanced down at her phone as his next text message flashed across the screen.

 _So, you're not a Princess? Good to know, Little Bird._

Her mouth fell open in shock and she stared at her phone before turning around to look at him standing in the window, grinning at her as he waved again. It was like he was taunting her, and enjoying every second of it. Raven just groaned and lifted her eyes to the ceiling, hoping that maybe this would all be over soon.

Jason leaned back on his heels and watched her with an infuriating smirk.

Raven just set her phone down and walked back into her room, as if she could hear his teasing laughter follow her. What in the world did she just get herself into?

Her phone buzzed again.

 _I'll be seeing you around, Little Bird_.

And how was she going to get herself out of it?


	3. Boys, Boys, Boys

**Traditional  
** Chapter Three: Boys, Boys, Boys

It wasn't like she wasn't happy for her friend.

She was. She was incredibly happy that her friend found someone to spend the rest of her life with. And she was overjoyed that her friend wanted her to be such a big part of her journey to the big day.

She just wasn't happy about being involved in _this_ part of the journey.

Raven licked her teeth and tried not to roll her eyes as a round of fruity pink drinks was brought to their rainbow penis themed table. A repetitive, over autotuned, overplayed, barely coherent pop song thudded out from the speakers, the bass making everything vibrate, including her chest, and she couldn't help but count the songs until it was okay to leave.

"Oh my god! Look at these drinks!" Her blonde friend exclaimed taking one of the martini glasses in her hand as if she had never seen a basic cosmopolitan before.

"They have little phalluses on them!" The red headed bride-to-be pointed out obviously, her accent thickening every word. "It's so cute!"

Her friend, Karen laughed. "Well, it's to get you used to doing it more often!"

"I just hope he's bigger than this," her pink haired friend, Jin, joked.

The table of girls giggled and snickered as they pretended to be the dirty naughty girls that they weren't, sucking on the lewd straws of their sticky sweet drinks. Raven had to stop herself from rolling her eyes again, pressing her lips together and pulling them back into a fake smile.

It wasn't like she wasn't happy for her friend. She just didn't want to drink pink drinks from tiny penises and wear a rainbow colored feathered boa and matching pin saying "bridesmaid" on her chest while surrounded by giggling girls and men in kilts with ridiculously tight shirts.

She looked away from the girls and looked across the room, internally groaning. Speaking of men in kilts in ridiculously tight shirts, four of them were heading straight for them with devious and charming smiles on their.

 _Oh great…_

"Hello ladies," the lean but muscular build strawberry blonde with freckles sang as they reached their table. "Having a good time so far?"

All of the girls eyes light up as they nodded, giggling and licking their lips nervously. Raven wanted to scream.

"We hear there's a bride in the house," the redhead with freckles said, eyeing Kori down and holding his hand out to her. "And we boys, at _The Traditional Kilt_ wanted to make sure you had a good time."

"Each and _every_ single one of you," the dark haired, dark eyes romance novel model lookalike said as his eyes looking over them.

Raven tried not to bolt for the door but if any one of them so much as tried to grind on her, she was leaving.

"So who's first?" The dark haired super muscular one with blue eyes said, taking off his shirt and making all her friends blush and giggle, excitedly.

Raven tried not to gag as they rest of them took off their shirts to reveal the lean, muscular bodies they had underneath. While yes, it was very nice to look at - _very nice_ , it was was _so r_ ehearsed and gross and the sounds of her friends shrills and gasps made her head hurt.

It wasn't that she wasn't happy for her friend. She just hated _everything_ that was happening right now.

The now half naked men grinned as they crowded around them, perching themselves on the table and flexing muscles or moving the ladies chairs so they could dance on them.

Raven's lips twitched at the sight, unable to stop her eyes from rolling when she felt someone take hold of her hand. She turned her head to see the dark haired romance novel with the dark almost black eyes pulling her hand to his abs.

"Having a good night?" He asked, tactlessly, although she was certain that if she was as drunk as she wanted to be at that exact moment, she would've been charmed.

But she wasn't. She was as sober as a nun at church. Maybe even more than that.

"I have to go…do a thing, somewhere else," she pulled her hand away from his grasp and stood up, scurrying away from their dark rainbow corner of phalluses and mock lust.

She heard a few of her friends call out to her but she promptly ignored them as she walked across the room, ripping the feather boa from around her neck and pulling at her hair with a deep sigh of relief.

It wasn't like she wasn't happy for her friend.

It was just that she couldn't stop analyzing every single second of past few months, trying to figure out exactly what she could've done wrong. It was just that she couldn't stop thinking about what she could've done better or would've have done instead if she could go back. It was just that she had spent hours looking into reflections and dissecting every single possible flaw from the outside in until she was nothing more than a pile of ribbons assembled into a shadow of a person. It was just that she just got dumped horrifically, almost comically, a day ago, and watching all of her friends celebrate the marriage of another friend who was currently getting grinded and twerked on by some strawberry blonde guy while sucking a sticky sweet pink drink out of a tiny plastic penis surrounded by _fucking_ rainbows and feathers and shiny plastic fringe, did not make her feel any fucking better!

It's just that she was miserable and she couldn't manage enough strength to pretend to be into all of that.

She let out another sigh as she pushed at her hair as she reached the bar, taking a seat there. She propped her elbow on the bar top and placed her head in her hand. Maybe a few shots will make this headache go away…

"Well, well…" She heard a voice hum. She picked her head up and opened her eyes, locking eyes with a pair of green ones. Lips turned up into an ever familiar and smug grin, and her stomach dropped. "Nice to see you again, Little Bird."

Her eyes widened and she stammered slightly in embarrassment. "I… You… What are you doing here?"

He arched his brow as he and gave a one shoulder shrug. "I work here."

Raven's eyes traveled the length of him behind the bar and saw that he was wearing the same uniform as the other guys - ridiculously tight shirt and kilt and all.

She coughed the image away as slid her eyes closed. " _Of course,_ you do…" She drawled, tiredly, moving to get out of her seat. She stopped when she heard a chorus of girlish "woos" and turned her head. She groaned.

The strawberry blonde guy was strewn across the table as a bottle of liquor was poured into his belly button with a line of salt and limes balancing precariously on his abs. She watched as her friend Terra did a shot off of him, licking his body to reach the lime and salt before tilting her head back and let out another joyous "woo."

"Now do you really want to go back there with your friends and do shots off of him?" She heard him say. She turned her gaze back to meet him, his cocky grin shining down on her. He tilted his head as he cleaned a glass in his hands. "Or do you want to stay here and talk to my gorgeous face?"

Raven's tongue rolled in her mouth, debating between the two choices. She couldn't leave the party yet,the night barely being two hours old. But she wasn't particularly a fan of "scandalous" bachelorette parties nor was she a fan of doing body shots, even if it was off perfectly sculpted abs.

On the other hand, there was this guy. Her new neighbor who was egotistical and teasing and looked like a bad idea incarnated into a person.

"What's it going to be, Little Bird?" His tongue clicked as he fixed up another drink.

She sighed as she settled back in her stool. "The lesser of two evils, I guess."

" _Oh, Little Bird_ …" He feigned pain, putting a hand over his heart. "That almost hurt."

"Eh… You'll live," she snorted, propping her elbows on the bar top.

He laughed as he drafted a beer. "What can I get you?"

"Anything that's strong," she sighed, pressing her fingers against her temple, trying to soothe the pounding headache that pulsed in time with the bass of the music. "That isn't pink."

He nodded as he pulled up a glass and fixed her a drink. "Having a rough go at it?"

"Do you not see that bachelorette party?" She said, nodding her head the table of "woo" girls that were her friends.

He chuckled again as he placed a drink that looked to be a seven & seven in front of her. "It's hard to _unsee_ that eye sore."

His eyes flicked over her shoulder to the table and grimaced, making Raven turn her head. Ugh… Now they were all crowding around the bride, grinding in her face while the other girls continued to cheer and scream their approval.

"Seriously, guys? Give me a fucking _break,_ " Jason groaned, throwing a towel over his shoulder and moving to fill out another drink order.

Raven audibly sighed, turning around and sipping her drink. She licked her lips as the alcohol burned down her throat, her eyes flicking to Jason working behind the bar, taking him in up close and personal.

And _Jesus_ , was he a _sight_ …

His green eyes sparkled and shined with something mischievous and teasing, like he knew a dirty little secret, and his dark pink lips were turned up into a grin that she was certain could make anyone swoon. She followed down the line of his neck, lingering on his jaw so strong, it could cut diamonds, to his shoulders and arms to the expand of his chest. The lithe ropes of his muscles bulged and flexed under the tight, black stretchy fabric of his shirt, clinging to him like a second skin and making her mouth water a little. Her focus shifted to his large and strong hands that wrapped around and engulfed the beer taps, and she wondered if they were rough as they promised they would be. Dropping her sight to the red kilt that hung low on his hips, she nibbled her lip, knowing exactly what he had underneath it. Distantly, she wondered if he was, in fact, going traditional as the bar name implied.

"…about the bachelorette party, you know," she heard him say, and she realized he was still talking to her.

Pulling herself away from visions of his almost majestic nakedness, she coughed as she flicked her eyes up to him. "Hmm?" She tried to play it off like she wasn't checking him out, but the blush that peppered her cheeks told her truth.

He chuckled at her and shook his head as he poured another drink for another customer. "I said, I wasn't just talking about the bachelorette party. When I was asking if you were having a rough go of it."

"Oh," she sighed softly, her fingering the penis free straw of her glass with a solemn look and remembering all of yesterday's pains.

Jason glanced over at her as he drafted another beer. "I couldn't help but notice how stressed you looked last night-

"Maybe it was because some naked guy was shouting at me from his window," her smile curled up at the edge.

He chuckled again. "Let's _not_ pretend that you _didn't_ enjoy the view."

She gaped as heat rose to her face, coating it in a pink glow before she pursed her lips and took another drink of her seven & seven.

"Anyway," he wetted his lips with a smile. "I, also, noticed that you were barefoot coming in at just a quarter shy of eight o'clock."

"So?"

"So, Little Bird," he hummed, finishing up another drink order before facing her. He put his hands on the bar and leaned in close to her, crowding her in his scent of his cologne and something exotic and heady that she couldn't quite put her finger on. "Unless you have a habit of starting your parties really early and you were drunk last night, you were having a rough go of it last night, as well."

 _Perceptive…_

Feeling naked under his softening gaze, she averted her eyes to her drink and took another sip, letting the alcohol buzz around in her brain. They barely met and he noticed more about her in their few minutes together than her friends, that she had known for years, did. As if on cue, she heard another chorus of "woo's," making her flinch and frown in disapproval.

He tilted his head as he looked at her. "You want to talk about it?"

Raven rolled her tongue in her mouth as she fingered her straw again, her eyes dropping to her drink again. She hadn't spoken about her break up to anyone since it happened, not wanting to ruin her friends rainbow filled joy with her rainy dark cloud. Without having anyone to talk to, it all built up behind her walls and it was beginning to eat her up inside, and this practical stranger was offering her a chance to unburden herself of this weight she carried.

But he was a stranger. And she wasn't sure if she should trust him.

He seemed to notice this dilemma in her. "I've done too many questionable things in my life to judge and I certainly won't judge you, Little Bird. You can trust me."

She nibbled her lip, meeting his eyes again and found something warm and comforting in them. Another chorus of "woo's" echoed through the bar, and Raven took a breath.

"Well…"

She told him the story about her blindsided breakup from the night previous. About how cold and impersonal it all was and how she thought that they would last a lot longer and that she hadn't seen it coming. She thought they were going on another simple date and she walked out heartbroken and a little bit lost.

And like Jason had promise, he didn't judge. He just nodded his head and listened. And when she finished, he fixed her another drink and very eloquently said:

" _Fuck_ that guy."

She covered her mouth as she broke out into her first real smile of the day, feeling a bit of the gloom around her ebb away as his grin shined down on her.

"There's a smile," he commented, his grin growing wider. "I've been wondering where that was."

The night wore on and she forgot about time and leaving early. As cocky and sometimes crass as he was, he was actually really good company. He was smart and he challenged her wit when he teased her. His ever charming and boastful grin was infectious and it dashed away her troubles, making her forget all about the embarrassing penis themed bachelorette party and her horrible breakup, and made her feel close to being normal again.

The booze helped.

She turned her head back around to where she still heard the wooing, and she shook her head as her friends hung messily and unattractively on the shirtless men, who were eating it up greedily as they continued to get paid by these women. What was once pure fun, now looked like pure desperation, and she shook her head before turning her head back to Jason.

"Do you do that?" She asked, bluntly. "Grind in people's faces and let people do shots off your abs?"

He shook his head. "I could do that though."

"But you don't?" She slurred as she took another sip of her third drink.

"Why? Do you want me to dance for you, Little Bird?" He teased, a corner of his lip turning up.

She blushed. " _No!_ …I'm just curious."

He laughed at her, shaking a tumbler in his massive hands. "I could dance for you if you want, Little Bird. It'll cost you a kiss though."

Her blush darkened and she pressed her lips, looking away from him. "Never mind. Forget I asked."

He laughed louder. "I'm sorry, Little Bird. I didn't mean to offend. I'm only teasing. No, I don't do that. I man the bar or I guard the door. I don't do that ridiculousness on the floor," he gestured over her shoulder to the men who were dancing on the tables, teasing the girls with a possible sneak peek at what was under their kilts.

Raven shook her head again and went to turn back to Jason when her eyes caught a flash of platinum blonde. She held her breath and blinked, scanning over the familiar masculine form from head to toe. A feeling of dread flooded her body when the man turned his head, glacial blue eyes catching hers.

Her eyes widened and she whipped her head around. " _Shit_!"

Catching her curse, Jason lifted an eyebrow at her. "What?"

"My ex is here!" She hissed, rehearsing an escape plan in her head. Bathroom? No, she would have to walk passed him to get there.

"Where is he?" Jason looked over her shoulder.

"He just came in. Platinum blonde hair. Can't miss him," Can't run for the door either. _Fuck!_

"He's coming this way," Jason announced, leaning close.

" _Shit, shit shit!_ " She was running out of time!

"Want me to deck him? Just one good hit and he'll be flat on his ass," Jason offered.

Well, that's an idea… _No!_

"What's it going to be, Raven?" He asked, rearing at the start.

She searched her brain for a solution, a way out with her dignity still attached. She searched and searched until she looked up and met his eyes. She didn't know if it was the stress of seeing her ex again so soon after last night's embarrassing scene or if it was the booze talking or maybe it was a little bit of both when she opened her mouth.

"Kiss me."

He blinked. "What?"

Summoning all of her strength, she lifted her hand to his shirt, wrapping her fingers in the stretchy black fabric and pulled him in, planting her lips on his. She heard him let out a little squeak of surprise, and she squeezed her eyes while she prayed to every deity that he would go along with it and not push her away.

She sighed a small breath of relief when she felt his lips move against hers, kissing her back and lifting a hand to her cheek, his fingers curving around the lines of her face. She hummed at the feel of his lips, her eyes rolling into the back of her head.

His kisses were slow and deep and strong, drinking her in like she was something exotic to taste, nipping and sucking at her lower lip. She gasped when she felt his tongue trace the outline of her lip and she _melted_ , forgetting about everything all over again for just a moment, her mind growing dizzy and fuzzy at the same time.

In the distance, she heard someone coughing beside her and she remembered why she was kissing him. Pulling her lips away, she turned her head to meet the icy blue eyes of her former lover. He had a fake smile on his lips as his gaze moved back and forth between Raven and Jason.

Gathering herself back again, she offered a small smile of her own. "Mal? What a surprise."

"I could say the same thing about you, Raven," he said, his English accent sounding so posh and smug. "What are you doing here?"

"Kori's bachelorette party," she answered, nodding her head to that ridiculous display. "What about you?"

"I'm here to pick up a friend," he shrugged before flicking his eyes over to Jason. "Who is this?"

Feeling Jason's calloused fingers crowd around her hand, stroking her knuckles. She flicked her eyes to him and blushed, noting his heady stare. "This is Jason. We're… We… I…" She stuttered, trying to come up with something to say. Shit, shitshitshitshit!

"We're dating," he saved her with a smile.

"Really?" Mal questioned with a roll of his tongue, crossing his arms over his chest. "You're already dating?"

"It… Happened, very suddenly," Raven shrugged slowly, looking at Jason for support.

He squeezed her hand reassuringly and smiled. "I saw her walking to her apartment last night and I ended up asking her out for coffee. And we hit it off quite well. Wouldn't you say, Little Bird?"

Oh, he was good at this. She bit her lip, coyly, and hoped she was selling this just as well as he was. "I would say so."

His grin grew as he looked at her and for the third time that night she forgot about Mal, just swimming in his warm and glowing eyes. Something delightfully foreign fluttered in her chest as she looked at him, her eyes dropping to his lips as his tongue darted out to lick them.

She would swear it was the alcohol in the morning, but for a moment, she allowed herself to imagine kissing his lips again as his large and rough hands threaded through her dark hair, pulling her close. She imagined the wonderfully delirious things his tongue would do to her as they kissed, and she wondered what it would be like to feel the muscles of his chest under her hand as he-

He stood up to his full height and turned his attention to Mal, snapping her out of her daydream and bringing her back to the present. "It just so happens that her girlfriend is having her bachelorette party where I work. Which is great because I was hoping to see you again and you wanted an excuse to be away from that."

"Yes," she nodded with a smile. "I'm not exactly _enthused_ about being surrounded by rainbow phalluses."

He laughed genuinely at her. "So it's a win-win."

"Appears to be so," Mal's voice cut through their bit of dialogue, sounding a bit bitter.

 _Good._

"Well, I guess I should go tend to my friend," his lips pulled at the corners but it never quite made it to his eyes. "You all have a pleasant evening."

They pair of them nodded, watching him stalk away the crowd, and Raven breathed a sigh of relief.

" _Oh my goodness!_ Thank you so much for going along with that," She breathed.

"He's a fucking dick, so it's not a problem," he shrugged he picked up a glass and went back to work. His lips curved on one end again as he had thought of something funny. "But it's going to cost you."

She raised a brow to her hairline. "What do you mean?"

"One, I'm working and we're not supposed to let the customers kiss us. Two, I could get fired for that. And three, you stole our first kiss and I like being the one to kiss the girl first, no matter how good of a kisser she is," he finished, winking at her and making her blush. "So you owe me."

"And what _exactly_ do I owe you, then?" She said, her fingers reaching for her purse hanging on her hip.

He hummed, pretending to think about it. "Along with our coffee date… _A kiss_."

"What?" She said with a deadpan expression.

"At the end of our coffee date, you let me kiss you," he reiterated as he worked.

She rolled her eyes, playfully and took a sip of her drink. "Yeah, I'll get right on that," she drawled.

There was a sudden ruckus behind her and she turned her head to see her friend Terra growing belligerent and angry as the tall and dark security guard talked to her, trying to calm down while the bride cried in a corner, being coddled and comforted by Karen. She saw Jin walking through the crowd towards her with an annoyed expression, Raven groaned, knowing that it was time for them to go.

"What happened?" She asked, climbing down from the barstool.

"Fucking Terra," Jin rolled her eyes.

It wasn't a secret that Terra was an awful drunk, going from calm and fun-loving to angry in a blink of an eye. Raven didn't even need to know the full story. She just knew that they were basically getting thrown out and that they had to get her out fast. She also knew to keep a close eye on a drunk and crying Kori because she will either attack someone or run away. Perhaps a combination of the two. So they had to move fast.

Raven turned back to Jason and gave him an apologetic look. But he kept on with his ever charming grin.

"You gotta go," he nodded, moving over to the cash register, closing out their tabs and handing them their receipts and cards. He leaned in close to Raven so only the two of them could hear. "I made your drinks free, so don't worry about it."

She blinked, looking at him with questioning eyes. "And how much is _that_ going to cost me?"

He chuckled lowly as he pulled away. "On the house."

"Come on, let's go before Kori goes off," Jin slurred, tugging on Raven's arm.

Raven nodded, following behind Jin. She cast one last glance over her shoulder at Jason and looked at him with a disappointed expression.

"See you back at home, Little Bird," he called with a simple wave.

She lifted her fingers and waved, giving a small smile. "See you…" she lipped, feeling saddened that she had to leave.

It wasn't that she wasn't happy for her friend. And it wasn't that she didn't love her friends dearly.

It's just that chasing and coddling two drunk girls for the better half of the night was not nearly as appealing as getting lost in the candy apple green and teasing pools of his eyes.


	4. Stupid Grin

**Traditional  
** Chapter Four: Stupid Grin

Raven's head felt a bit fuzzy as her eyes seemed to zone in and out of focus. The blank page in her sketchbook was slowly filling up with colors and shapes as she moved her hand across the white space, slowly coming out of her daze. Shaking her head, Raven blinked and pulled her hand away from the canvas, looking at the mess she had created, splayed out like a patchwork of strokes and doodles. Chewing on her lower lip, she stared down at it, not feeling entirely certain it was worthy of _staying_ in her sketchbook or not.

She licked her lips and let her hand fall away from the page, rubbing her cheek in annoyance. A touch of purple pastel smeared across her skin, but she didn't really care at the moment. It felt nice to do something for herself for once, and not be wrapped up in the situations she couldn't control. Her heart twisted at the thought of last week, and she desperately tried not to relive her absolutely depressing and humiliating barefoot walk back to her apartment.

 _"_ _Having a rough go at it?"_ Jason's words echoed through her head and she blushed.

Unfortunately, he had hit the nail on the head.

Raven set her artwork aside and picked up the lukewarm cup of tea on the edge of her coffee table. After what had happened between her and Mal last week, she had barely felt like opening her art supplies, let alone actually sketch something. And while she didn't want to contribute the sudden spark of creativity entirely to meeting Jason (with his bright green eyes and lopsided smile), she couldn't deny that there was a part of her that didn't mind meeting him.

She took another sip of her tea and hummed, thinking about the night Mal had left her, the night she met Jason, and the night immediately after when he had kissed her with such ferocity that Raven thought she might actually melt into his arms. A smile pulled at the corners of her lips and she shook her head. Jason was… _easy_. Fun. Simple. He didn't try and seduce her with long stares and slow smiles. He was all-nonsense, but something about it felt warm, almost like he had become a friend instantly, and that was a nice thought.

Raven looked up from her tea as a loud knock broke the silence in the room.

"Raven?" There was a low groan. "Please be Raven."

Raven went to her door and unlocked it, opening it a little to look at Jason standing outside her threshold with a sheepish look on his face. He shuffled back and forth for a moment, and then Raven looked down at the rest of him.

 _He was completely naked_.

Blushing brightly, Raven lifted her eyes to his face, trying not to think about the fact that he was standing in her hallway in _nothing at all_ , and bouncing back and forth on his feet. She cleared her throat and glared at him. "Do you _ever_ wear clothes, Jason?"

"I was _washing them_ and I got locked out of my apartment… Look, it's kind of a weird story, and I'd rather _not_ get into it." He walked past the threshold and into her apartment, letting her close the door behind him. "I just need to call the super and get him to let me back in to my apartment… and well, I can't exactly hide a cell phone here." He gestured to his body with one hand, and Raven was helpless to follow the path of his fingertips.

Down his chest. Over his abs. Around the swell of his hips… she bit the inside of her cheek and looked back up into his green eyes, praying he didn't notice her curious, wandering stare. He seemed unaware for a moment, to which Raven was eternally grateful.

"I knew you lived on this floor and I knew _roughly_ the right apartment… Although there may have been a few trial-and-error moments… and I might have practically scared the bloomers off the little old lady that lives next door with six cats." He shook his head and looked down into his hands. "She just stood there all wide-eyed staring at my junk. Actually to be honest she looked rather impressed."

Raven ran a hand down her face and stared at the ceiling. "Please don't tell me that."

"I don't think her lesbian lover cared too much about it though."

" _Jason_." Raven picked up her stare and pursed her lips, trying to forget about the fact that he was _still_ naked in her living room, looking completely unconcerned with his state of undress. "You can't go running through the halls buck naked."

"It's not like I _wanted_ to." He threw his hands up and shook his head. "I didn't realize the door locked _behind_ me when I walked out. I was only supposed to be gone for a second, move the clothes from the washer to the dryer, that's it."

"You could have worn _pants_ … like _normal_ people when they go _outside_ their apartment."

"Look, let's not argue semantics here." He waved her off with a shrug. "Can I please, please, _please_ borrow your cell to call the super? Or I'll just go knocking on everyone else's door to borrow their phone."

He grinned and crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back on his heels as Raven desperately fought to keep her eyes locked on his own. If she let her mind wander for even a _second_ it was very likely her stare would end up below the waist… _again_. Not that she minded the sight honestly.

Raven sighed and grabbed her phone off the coffee table, handing it to him. "Fine. Call him while I try to find you something to wear… so you don't go scaring any more old ladies."

Ignoring his teasing laughter, she walked into her room and rummaged through her drawers until she found a pair of sweatpants Mal had left a few weeks ago. She certainly didn't need _those_ back anytime soon.

"I found you some pants but you have promise to burn them when you are…" Her words trailed up as she looked at him.

Walking back into the living room, Raven saw him hovering over her coffee table, her sketch pad in his hands. Jason hummed for a second and he rubbed his chin, flicking through the pages as if he was reading a positively fascinating book, his lips occasionally curling up into a smile. Raven stood frozen to the spot, eyes wide as she watched his expression. She couldn't move, because if she did, it would mean that he was _actually_ looking at her artwork, and that was _too_ embarrassing to admit to.

"I didn't say you could go through my stuff!"

"You left it out." He shrugged, completely unconcerned with the sudden burst of anger, and flipped another page. He cocked his head to the side and inspected her art the edges of his lips curling upward. "And I saw the purple pastel smudged across your cheek. I was just curious as to that exactly the Little Bird could do. Not bad, by the way."

"S-stop, Jason!" Raven felt her face burn with embarrassment, and she threw the sweatpants at his head, jumping over the back of the sofa to snatch the book out of his hands.

He stumbled backward and laughed, his eyes bright and mirthful as he watched her clutch the book to her chest. "I was only admiring your work. You've got some real chops, ya know?"

Raven's blush continued to darken, and she pulled the sketchbook even tighter against her, feeling something bubble up into her chest at his expression. "And what would you know about my art?"

"Eh… not much, considering how very little I've seen of it." He shrugged and pulled on the sweatpants, which made Raven both a little disappointed and a little grateful, but she didn't let it show. Pushing at his disheveled hair, he pitched forward a little and tapped the top of the sketchbook in her hands. "But… I might know a thing or two if you give me enough credit." He pushed at his hair and handed the phone back to her, his smile still dancing in his eyes.

"Anyway, sorry I was snooping through your stuff, Little Bird." His apology sounded a bit disingenuous, but his half-cocked smile made Raven let that little bit slide. "Next time, I'll make sure that I ask politely before I go rummaging through your very interesting book."

Raven pressed her lips together and glared. "Or you can just leave my things alone."

"Mm…" He pretended to ponder that for a second, tapping his fingers on his chin. " _Nah_."


	5. Hello You Beautiful Thing

**Traditional  
** Hello You Beautiful Thing

The soft sound of her breathing filled her ears as a world in the secret section of her mind slowly spilled out on the page in front of her with every stroke of her pencil, not knowing what the picture would be at the end.

It was strange, in a relaxing sort of way, how her art made the outside world disappear just for a moment. It was like meditation but she came out of it with piece of art. Whether or not the art was good after she settled back into reality was a completely different story.

A sense of peace washed over her as she continued to draw the lines and contours of a face she had yet to identify. She ran her tongue over the inside of her teeth as she rubbed her finger gently over a line, smudging it, bringing all the pieces together bit by bit.

Her tongue clicked when there was a distant knocking at the door, the outside slamming back into her. She blinked and looked to the direction of the sound with a slightly dazed stare when another round of knocks filled the room.

"Raven?" She heard a slowly growing familiar voice say, and she rolled her eyes.

 _Of course_ , it would be him at the door.

"What?" She shouted at the door, not moving from her position on the couch.

She heard the low rumbles of his laughter. "Is that any proper way to greet someone? I have a gift for you."

She pressed her lips doubtingly as she picked her lukewarm mug up from the coffee table and took a sip. "Well, you can leave it at the door. I'll get it later."

"Oh, Little Bird, must you injure me so?" She could practically _hear_ his lopsided smile as his words dripped with feign hurt. "Come on, I came all this way from my apartment just to see you."

She tapped her finger on her mug in thought, staring at the door, a slow smile tugging at her lips. While her art and Jason both made her forget the outside world, her art made her feel peace but he made her _smile_.

"Come on, Little Bird," he called again. "What's it going to be?"

"Are you wearing clothes?" It was a valid question. She just didn't know what answer she wanted.

Another chuckle from the other side of the door. "I guess you're gonna have to come to the door to find out, Little Bird."

Shaking her head with another roll of her eyes, she put her mug down and closing her sketchbook without a glance. She stood up and put her sketchbook away, remembering that he was quite curious and would probably steal another peek at her book, before heading over to the door and unlocking it.

She pulled the door open to meet his teasing stare and swoon-worthy smirk. Her eyes dropped down to the rest of him. She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth and arched a brow at him as she took his form in.

"So you do own pants," again, she couldn't tell if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Her eyes moved up to his torso, lingering on his hardened set of chest and abs. "But not a shirt."

"I own a shirt."

"Oh, do you mean your two sizes too small work shirt?" She raised her brow and opening her door further. "Cause that doesn't count."

He chuckled again as he strolled past her and walked into her apartment. "It _does_ count, and you and I both know you enjoy seeing me shirtless so much more anyway."

She rolled her eyes at his ego, shutting the door behind him. "Could you be any more narcissistic?"

"It's possible, yes," he grinned, making his way to the kitchen. "Should I try?"

"No," she snorted, heading back over to her couch and picking up her mug. "My apartment is not big enough to handle the enormity that is your ego."

He laughed at her, cracking open her fridge and looking inside. She heard him give a low whistle. "You certainly eat out a lot."

She blushed, feeling a bit embarrassed about her cooking skills, or rather, lack there of. She pulled her knees up to her chest and took another sip of her tea. "Is that a crime?"

"No," he shrugged with a shoulder. "I'm just curious. Honestly, do you eat anything that doesn't come in a box, Little Bird?"

"Yes… I eat… Apples. They don't come in a box."

He lift his head and looked back at her. "Apples?"

"Yes."

"Really? That's your answer? Apples?"

"I eat yogurt sometimes?" She made a face at him, putting the drink aside and pushing her hair back. "What did I say about rummaging through my stuff?"

"I'm not rummaging," he defended, pulling out a beer and closing the door, finally. "I'm hanging out with you."

"By going through my things?" Her arms crossed over her chest and her lips pressed together. Thank goodness, she thought of hiding her sketchbook before he came in. The man looked through everything he could get his hands on.

"Not necessarily," he said, looking through her drawers for a bottle opener. "But isn't this what people do when they like each other? Come over to the other's house, go through their things, eat their food… Yada, yada."

Her heart fluttered at the word 'like' and she tried desperately to hide her blush. Like? _Like?_ What did he mean by the word 'like?' And more importantly, what did she want him to mean by it? She fidgeted in her seat and pushed her hair behind her ear, licking her lips and trying to keep her heart rate down.

"Funny, I don't remember saying that I liked you," she reached for her tea again and took another sip, her eyes watching him curiously as he moved about her apartment.

Jason was like a strange and exotic animal to her. Observing and exploring everything around him, his head practically on a swivel. He was unpredictable, possibly dangerous to her health but was positively gorgeous and so wildly intriguing that staying away felt like a crime against herself. And all she wanted to do was study him.

He laughed, finding the drawer and picking out a bottle opener. "See? That's why I like you. You're funny. You make me laugh."

"I'm glad I amuse you," she replied in a deadpan voice dripping with sarcasm, watching him as he came closer to sit with her. Pulling her legs closer to her chest, she clutched her mug and raised her brow. "That doesn't mean that I like you."

He hummed in amusement, taking a swig from his beer. "You and I both know you like me."

"How presumptuous of you."

"You ditched your friends to talk to me-"

"I'd rather not have multiple male genitalia, plastic or otherwise, in my face-"

"Oh, so you're not into orgies, then? Good to know," he commented with another quick swig and a smug grin.

She furrowed her brow disapprovingly and nudged his side with her foot, coaxing another laugh to spill from those dizzying lips of his. "Honestly, do you have to be so crass?"

"You put up with me," he pointed out. "Another sign that you like me."

She gaped, opening and closing her mouth like a guppy fish while shifting through the maze of her mind around for the correct response to such an accusation. "I-I… I've never invited you over here."

"And yet, _twice_ now you have opened your door for me. _Once_ , while I was naked," he grinned, his hand coming around the back of the couch and spreading out as if he owned the place.

"That was different," she fought with a red hot blush, remembering the various contours of his body with very vivid detail. She tried not to let her eyes drift down to his shirtless body to confirm whether she had memorized them or not.. "You were naked and asking for me and scaring my neighbors-"

"Our neighbors," he chimed, cockily, and she briefly thought about wiping that grin off.

"Our-" she stopped short, feeling the short end of her temper. She licked her lips and pushed the nest of her hair back in frustration. "Whatever. Didn't you say you had a gift for me?"

He chortled again at the sudden change of topic, taking another swig of his beer and nodding. "I did."

" _Well?_ " She huffed, impatiently, wishing his teasing stare and mocking lips would go back to his apartment where they belonged.

But he only laughed more before clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "Tsk, tsk, tsk… Demanding and testy Little Bird, aren't you?"

"Do you have a gift or not?" She said, bluntly with a straight laced no nonsense expression.

"Here. A thank you for helping me out the other day," He chuckled, reaching into his jean pocket and pulling out what looked to be a carved wooden block in the shape of… She didn't actually know what.

She reached out for it, tenderly, not entirely sure what to do with it. Was it a dog? Or a rabbit?

"Oh!" She forced out, trying to to look confused. "It's a…"

"You're holding it upside down."

"Ah," she flipped it over. _What the fuck,_ was it a bear? "Yes, I see it now!" Liar, you big liar.

"You still have no idea what it is, do you?" He shook his head, a bit of disappointment creeping into his eyes.

She tried to force herself to lie, to just make a guess. Anything would do. At least, she would be seeing something! And who knows, on the off chance, she could get it right! But that's not what came out of her mouth.

"Sorry…" she cringed, hating that disappointed look in his eyes. It didn't suit him. Not one bit.

"It's a bird," he answered for her, gesturing to the object. "See the wings."

"Oh," she said simply, tilting her head at it. It was hard to make it out, but it was there. "Oh! I can see that now. Thank you."

He snorted a little before taking another sip of his beer. "Yeah, my wittlings are shit but my furniture work is much better."

Her brows raised in interest. "You make furniture?"

"Yeah, I got a few pieces in my apartment," he gave a nonchalant one shoulder shrug before looking back over at hed, his lips curling up on one edge. "Maybe I'll show you sometime."

"Is that what people do when they like each other? Show off their furniture?" She replied playfully, the ends of her lips twitching into a barely there smile.

His signature smirk pulled on his lips as another low rumble of laughs worked their way past his throat and into the air, sending a strange but warm feeling down her spine. He licked his lips and brought the bottle to his lips again, taking another swig.

"I knew you liked me."

* * *

 _Thank you everyone for your support! We appreciate all the nice comments and hope you're enjoying it as much as we enjoyed writing it!_


	6. Fresh Feeling

**Traditional  
** Chapter Six: Fresh Feeling

"Do you _ever_ go back to your own apartment?"

Jason looked up from the book in his hand and shrugged, turning a worn page as he continued reading. "Thought about it, but you're way more fun to hang out with than four boring walls."

"You should get a cat or something." Raven leaned against the arm of her sofa, legs propped up as she shaded a sketch in her book. "Something that will keep you from feeling bored in your own apartment and maybe leave me alone once in a while."

"Oh, come on, Little Bird…" He took a sip of beer and turned another page. "You wouldn't keep inviting me in if you didn't want a friend around to hang out with."

She flicked her eyes up to where he sat, and sighed, watching as a drop of condensation slipped from the beer bottle, crashed into his chest, and slid over the curves and planes of his skin. She watched it run down to his stomach where it disappeared into the thin line of hair traveling down to the waistband of his sweatpants. Raven shivered and turned back to the sketch pad in front of her, hoping he didn't see the blush staining her cheeks. "Yeah, well… you could at least put on a shirt or something."

"Nope." He didn't bother looking up from the book in his hands and hummed. "I told you, Little Bird, you _like_ watching me walk around shirtless." He took another swig of his beer, another few drops of condensation falling to his skin. "I'm just waiting for you to admit it."

Raven rolled her eyes and looked back up at him. "I won't, because I don't."

"Oh?" He finally looked up from his book and cocked that half-smile that made her heart leap into her throat. "So… you haven't been drawing me in your book then?"

Raven blushed brightly and slammed her sketchbook closed, color filling her face. "I never asked you to model for me, you know! You're just… there. And the sun is hitting you nice, it was a good picture, _okay_?"

He lifted an eyebrow, his smile widening. "The _sun_ is hitting me nice?"

Raven felt her face get darker and she looked away, pulling her sketchbook closer to her chest. He didn't have to tease her like that. Sighing and pushing her emotions to the back of her mind, she glanced back into his face, those bright green eyes never leaving her own. Something strange and warm bubbled up inside her and she wasn't sure how to understand it. There was something about the way he looked at her that made her feel… _different_. She pushed at her hair and set her book to the side.

"The sun is hitting you nice," she repeated, picking herself up from the sofa. "I thought it'd be a nice picture, but if you're gonna be a jerk about it, I won't finish it."

"Well, anytime you need me to model, I'm only a phone call away, Little Bird." He dogeared his page in the book and set it back on her bookshelf, still smiling as if he knew some damning secret of hers. "I'll leave this here, if you don't mind."

"You can borrow it, you know." Raven jerked her head to the window that faced his own. "It's not like I don't know where you live if I need it back."

"Nah. It gives me a reason to come back and bother you." He chuckled and pushed at his hair, the ebony locks running smoothly through his fingers. "And anyway, I've got to start getting ready for work."

Raven crossed her arms over her chest. "I thought you had tonight off?"

"At the bar, yeah. But, I'm off to the shop tonight, someone put in an order for a custom bench a few days ago and I haven't started on it yet. That furniture won't make itself." He scratched the back of his head and sighed, looking just a little bit sheepish. "You should come over some time and take a look at my furniture. I like to think they're not half-bad… not as bad as some of my little statues anyways."

Raven's eyes flicked over to the wooden "bird" statuette by the windowsill. It still looked like a sad, lopsided dolphin to her. She looked back at him and raised an eyebrow. "You're just trying to get me into your apartment so you can walk around naked and traumatize me some more."

Jason laughed, his eyes brightening a little. "Nope. I can do that from my window just fine." There was a small, comfortable lull in the conversation as he walked to her kitchen and placed his empty beer bottle in the sink. "What are you up to tonight?"

She blushed and picked up her sketchbook, placing it back in the basket where she kept her art supplies. "I have a date… actually."

Raven felt the air turn strangely heavy, and she turned to look into his face, watching as his eyes darkened a bit. He pressed his lips together and looked out the window, tapping his fingers on the counter and nodding. "Well… that sounds…"

"Like a headache." She finished for him as she crossed her arms over her chest and shrugged, ignoring the thickness around them. "My friends set it up for me. He's some big how-to-do detective, and apparently he's _very_ intelligent and attractive. Or at least they keep telling me this. I have yet to see and reserve judgment until further notice."

"You sound so enthused." The brightness almost immediately returned to Jason's eyes and he laughed. "You'll have to tell me how it goes."

"I'll need wine for that." Raven leaned on her counter and stared at him. "Lots of wine."

"Well then, I guess I'll make sangria." He pat her on the head and started for the door. "I expect the worst date story ever tomorrow night. I want all the classics - bad restaurant choice, bad tie, spilling soup on himself, his crotch, or you… or all three would be great. I want him talking about his mother nonstop, or the six cats he owns, or droning on and on about work. I expect _everything_ wrong to possibly happen on this date, and I want to hear every gory little detail."

Raven cocked her hips to the side and raised an eyebrow, trying to fight against the smile playing across her lips. "And what if everything goes right and it's actually a good date?"

He pretended to think about that for a moment and then shook his head. "Nah. Even if it goes well, make up stories. Exaggerate. Amuse me."

Raven rolled her eyes. "Well, if that's what you want, I'll tell you he was an alien from outer space."

"Ooo… I like that. Think about that plotline and run with it, Little Bird." He reached the door and looked over his shoulder, his smile brightening. "I'll see you tomorrow, and I want to know _all_ about the alien from outer space. I expect to know what kind of space ship he drives too. You know a nice fancy one or a beat-up hunk of junk that smells faintly of stale burritos."

Raven pressed her lips together and fought off a smile. "Deal."

"Good."

With that he was gone, leaving Raven with a strange, bright feeling in her stomach. Exactly what _was_ this?


	7. Somebody Loves You

**Traditional  
** Chapter Seven: Somebody Loves You

Raven sighed as she slumped her back against the door. She kicked the heels off her feet and lazily flicked on the lights to see the sanctuary of her home and sighed again in relief.

"What the actual fuck?" She closed her eyes, whispering to no one.

It was needless to say, her date didn't go very well. While her friends were right about his intellect and his attractiveness, he was a complete and total wet rag. Going on and on about his work and this one guy he had been trying to track down for years. Slade… Wilkins? Or was it, Wilson? He said so many times, she should have it memorized by now.

Letting out a loud huff, she moved across the room to her couch, dropping her purse and throwing herself over the furniture in defeat. "I can't believe I shaved my legs for that…" She groaned as she let the cushions of her couch coddle her.

There was a distant singing noise and she groaned again before getting up and reaching into her purse for her phone.

Jason.

 _Come to the window._

She rolled her eyes and sighed again. "I was just getting comfy…"

But she got up anyway and made her way to the window to see him standing in all his naked glory with a pad in front of him. She felt a little rug at her lips… It was sort of hard _not_ to cheer up a little at the sight.

She flicked her eyes to the words written on the pad.

 _How'd it go?_

She leaned against the window and have him a dull look and shook her head. He frowned before turning the page and scribbling a few words in his pad.

 _That bad?_

She nodded in response.

 _Want me to come over?_

He tilted of his head and gave a lopsided grin. Cute…

She thought about it for a moment before shaking her head. After a night like she had, she really wanted to be alone in her apartment.

He frowned again but nodded, writing something else down on his pad.

 _Call?_

She couldn't help the small smile that plagued her lips. She wanted to be alone, yes, but that didn't mean she wanted to feel _lonely_. Lifting her hand to look at her phone, she went into her contacts and found his name, calling him.

She watched the smile spread across his face as he reached for his phone and answered. "Was it so bad that you don't want my gorgeous self at your place, Little Bird?"

"It was pretty bad," she nodded, a little chuckle dancing in her words.

"Alright, tell me everything," he grabbed a chair and took a seat.

"What do you want to hear?" She grabbed her own chair and sat down as she looked at him from across the way. "The alien story or the actual date?"

He let out a laugh full of mirth. "Tell me about the actual date. We can talk about aliens on a wine-induced night sometime in the near future."

"Okay," she rolled her eyes, playfully, leaning back into her chair. "Well, we decided to meet at the French restaurant on Third."

"Your choice or his?"

"His."

"Okay, so he's pretentious," he nodded.

"Hey, I've always wanted to go to that restaurant," she pointed out.

"You have some pretentious tendencies."

"Hey!"

"I said _some_ pretentious tendencies. _Some_ ," he repeated with a shift in his chair. "But don't worry, it's actually an endearing quality about you."

"Gee, thanks…" she drawled with a roll of her eyes. "Anyway, his name is Dick-"

"Even his parents knew the level of pretentiousness when he was born, nice. What car did he drive?"

"What is it with guys and cars?"

"You can tell a lot of a man based of the car he drives."

She rolled her eyes again. "Fine. It was a black mustang, I think."

"Black matte paint job or just the shiny kind?"

"Matte with blue racer stripes."

"Hmm… Douche."

She rolled her eyes again, pressing her lips to fight off a smile. "Can I get back to telling you about the actual date?"

"You may proceed, yes."

She sighed again and shifted in her chair. "He ordered us wine. But he had to taste it first before it was served."

"Boring, pretentious, douchey, and controlling. Certainly sounding like a winner," he side commented with a smirk. "Did he order your food for you as well?"

"No, unfortunately," she shook her head. "I think I would've left immediately and saved myself from further agony."

"Did he talk you to death?" He furrowed his brow, reaching over to his table and grabbing a beer.

"Oh my lord, did he _ever_ ," she groaned, getting up from her seat and heading to her kitchen. Shifting the phone to rest between her shoulder and her ear, she picked out a red wine from her rack and a glass from her cabinet. "And I should've been excited because it was all this detective- case- business, thing-"

"Very eloquent string of words there."

"But it was just _so_ boring," she sighed, pulling the cork out with the opener and pouring herself a large glass. She picked up her glass, she made her way back to her chair in front of the window, feeling herself smile at the sight of Jason patiently waiting for her to returned with a bottle in hand and a smirk on his lips.

It was strange how she felt - wanting to be alone but not be left alone. And despite how short of time they had known each other, he had somehow found her perfect balance. Leaving her alone but not allowing her to feel lonely. It was…nice. He understood her better than any guy- anyone, for that matter, she had ever met.

Her lips tugged at the corners at the thought, sitting down again and taking a sip of her wine. "All he talked about was this one case. The case that got away."

"Obsessive."

"He kept saying how he's been chasing this guy for years and that he was taunting him. Slade…Wilkens? Wilson? I don't know."

"Oh, poor Little Bird," he cooed jokingly into the phone with a tilt of his head, a chuckle edging out his words. "You went on a date with a boring, pompous, controlling, obsessive and paranoid douche of an idiot."

"I wouldn't say idiot. Just socially inept when it came to other topics, I suppose," she sighed, taking another sip.

He arched a brow at her. "Raven… you went on a date with an idiot. Call it what you want to make you feel better but at the end of it, he's an idiot."

She snorted. "Eh, well… At least, he was a cute idiot."

"Still not a good enough reason to ever call him up and let him penetrate you."

She pressed her lips together. "Still not a good enough reason to use the word 'penetrate'."

"When is it ever a good enough time?"

"Never," she shook her head after swallowing her drink. "Never is the answer to that question. Especially when you're naked."

"Did you hear that the space rover _penetrated_ Mars atmosphere?" He smirked.

"Oh my goodness," she whispered as she looked up at the ceiling, knowing she had started something she didn't mean to start. "Jason, no."

"And a team of archaeologist _penetrated_ past a certain layer of earth's crust."

"That did not happen today and you know it," she shook her head.

"And that idiot's voice on your date _penetrated_ your earhole."

" _Ewwww!_ " She exclaimed with a laugh, covering her face with her glass and hand. "Jason!"

"Have I made you uncomfortable?" He asked with a smile.

"You always make me uncomfortable," she replied, telling a sort of lie. "What else is new?"

"I don't think that's entirely true. At least, not anymore," he shrugged, leaning back into his chair and sipping his beer.

She wondered what he meant by that but he cut her thoughts short.

"Did I, at least, make you feel better after your shitty date?" He asked.

She thought about her answer for a moment before tilting her head in thought. "I suppose you did. _La, di, da_ for you."

The smile that spread across his face brought that strange and warm feeling into her chest again and she shifted in her chair a little as they locked eyes. Even with a courtyard between them, she somehow could always see the brightness in his eyes, and she felt like she could look into them for hours and never get bored.

She heard him chuckle on the other line as he brought his bottle to his lips again.

"Good."


	8. Yoga

**Traditional  
** Chapter Eight: Yoga

It didn't make any sense how hot it was. There was no earthly reason for it to be that hot, and yet it was. The air was sticky and thick, thick enough to swim in and making it hard to breathe. The sun was relentless, it's beams coming down and whipping at her skin like a vengeful mistress.

If it wasn't so bright, Raven would've glared at it and told it to fuck off.

Raven huffed, taking off her sun hat and fanning herself lazily as she walked closer to her apartment building, tempted to run but too hot and tired from the overdosage of vitamin D she was receiving to even attempt. Sweat from her brow trickled down towards her eyes before she wiped it away, the liquid flinging off from her fingertips before reaching for the door and entering inside.

She took a breath once in, enjoying the shade away from the evil sun. It wasn't quite as cool as she would've like it to be but at least the air wasn't stale and muggy as it was outside. Taking another breath, she continued her way to her apartment, catching the elevator and pressing the button for her floor. She slumped against the cool back wall of the elevator, pulling the bobby pins out of her pulled back hair and tossing them in her purse, uncaringly. She sighed in relief, her fingers running through the dark tresses and letting them relax her.

She really had to get a car. Or start taking the late shift if this heatwave was going to persist so she didn't have to walk during peak sun hours. At the very least, demand that the old stuffy non-air conditioned part of the library closes down till it was safe to go back working in there.

She huffed again as the doors for the elevator rang for her floor and opened. That would have to wait for another day. Right now, she was going to go inside her place, strip down to her skivvies and meditate.

"Maybe make some kind of iced tea…" she wondered out loud as she unlocked the door to her apartment.

"What kind of tea?" She heard a masculine voice say from her living room.

She blinked and turned around to see Jason- yes, Jason with sweat glistening in the sunlight off his naked and glorious body with his legs straight and up in the air while he stood on his head. She gaped, trying to blink the image of his anatomy between his legs being at eye level away but it wouldn't go away.

Not that she was _entirely_ sure that she wanted it to.

"Jason, what the _hell_?" She finally said, trying to calm her speeding heart.

"Well, that's a way to say hello," he sighed out, extending his arms out into a handstand.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She clarified, dropping her things by the door and trying to keep eye contact with him and not the length hanging down on his stomach.

"The air conditioning on my side of the complex is broken, so I came here where it works," he answered simply, bending his legs back over his head.

Dear _God_!

Feeling an inappropriate comment rise in her throat, she folded her lips and closed her eyes, willing herself to not find the odd position attractive. "How the hell did you get in here?"

She could practically hear his grin. "You'll come to find that I am very _resourceful_ , Little Bird."

She stared at him blankly, dropping her keys on the small table by the door. "Breaking and entering is resourceful?"

"Yes. A skill you'll thank me for having when the zombie apocalypse comes," he breathed out going back into his handstand position. She tried her best not to notice how his abs constricted with every breath. "Nice hair nest, by the way," he commented, his eyes flicking up to her tousled up hair.

She paused for a moment, the feeling of attraction ebbing away from her at his little comment. He came into her house, in her living room, sucking up all her air conditioning in his naked glory and he had the audacity to comment on her sweat sodden, messed up locks? Oh no… _that_ would not stand! She glared at him and pressed her lips in fight, her eyes traveling the length of him for one sensitive flaw she knew he had. Sinding it, she licked her lips and smirked.

"Nice gray hair," she replied, her eyes locking on the gray hair on top of his head before dragging them down to the anatomy between his legs before meeting his eyes again.

Jason stopped doing his yoga, narrowing his eyes and blushing, and Raven felt a hint of victory in her chest.

" _Low blow_ …" He spoke slowly.

She smirked, walking passed him to her room.. "You're naked. And vulnerable. After breaking into my apartment. You brought this on yourself."

"Still low," he muttered before restarting his yoga.

She hummed. "Why must you be naked while doing yoga, anyway?"

"Clothes are restrictive and thus defeating the whole purpose of yoga which is supposed to be freeing," he answered simply as if it was common knowledge.

Unzipping her dress and letting it fall to the floor, she sighed distantly wondering how in the world she became friends with this ridiculous, sly, nudist enthusiast, _resourceful_ , yogi of a man. And more importantly, why hadn't she thrown him out of her life yet? Letting go of the thought with a shake of her head, she sighed. "There are colonies you can join, you know? They have neighborhoods you can live in and be naked all the time."

"And miss out on your lovely face? Never, Little Bird," he replied back, his smirk audible in his voice. "And now that we've had our mandatory 'why don't you wear clothes' conversation, how was the library?"

She groaned at the thought of it, whipping her bra off and tossing it harshly on her bed.

" _Ooo…_ that bad?" He responded to the noises she made. "Should I get started on the sangria?"

"Later," she groaned, reaching for a white tank top and throwing it on. "Right now, I just want to cool down, relax. I was thinking about meditating…"

"What's stopping you?"

"You're naked in my living room, doing yoga," she said in a dull tone, pulling up her pair of shorts on her hips before walking out to her kitchen. "Even when you do have clothes on, you're distracting, and therefore, would make meditating today a pointless practice."

He chuckled as he rolled his up his spine and stood. "Are you saying that you like seeing me naked?"

"No," she blushed, opening her fridge and dipping inside for her pint of ice cream. "Stop digging for an admittance. It's not going to happen."

"You say that _now,_ Little Bird," he spoke with an upward twitch of his lips.

"And I will continue on saying it, thank you very much," she replied, grabbing a spoon and opening her ice cream, getting a big dollop of mint chocolate ice cream.

He hummed in amusement, quirking his eyebrow at her when she scooped a large piece of ice cream into her mouth. "Is that your substitute for meditating? Shoving ice cream in your face?"

She furrowed her brows at him, leaning against the side of the counter and looking down at her ice cream. "What's wrong with eating ice cream?"

"Nothing," he shook his head, tilting his head. "I just thought that maybe if you weren't up for relaxing via meditating, the equivalent of that would be doing yoga with me."

She blinked her eyes for a moment before shaking her head. "No, no. I am not doing yoga with you."

"Why not?" He smirked, taking a step towards her.

" _Because,_ " she trailed, noticing the glisten of sweat clinging to his skin. She felt her cheeks grow hot again, and she knew it wasn't from the heat.

"Just 'because'?" He teased with a chuckle. "How articulate."

"I'm not doing yoga with you," she repeated, trying to keep her eyes glued to his.

"That's still not telling me why not," he took another step towards her. "Come on, Little Bird."

"No."

"It'll be fun."

"I am not doing naked yoga with you."

"You don't have to be naked," he shrugged before a slow grin climbed on his lips and he stepped closer to her. His scent filled her nose, a winning combination of wood, cologne, and the sweet smell sweat, tingling her senses and dizzying her mind. "Unless you want to, of course."

She blushed, furiously. " _No_."

"Come on, Little Bird," his hands took the ice cream out of her hands, placing it on the counter and wrapping his fingers around her wrists gently. "Just a little yoga? I promise it will make you feel better than the ice cream will."

"But the ice cream was cooling me down," she resisted, weakly, the idea of trying yoga with him slowly appealing to her as he drew closer.

How bad could it be, after all?

"Do this little bit of yoga with me and I promise you will have all the booze and ice cream you want?" He swore.

She bit her lip as the walls inside her began to cave. "All the booze and ice cream?"

" _All_ the booze and ice cream," he offered with a charming smile.

She pressed her lips in thought before she finally sighed in resignation. "Alright…For the booze and ice cream. But no funny business, alright?"

"But of course," he gave a one shouldered before smirking coyly at her. "Just two friends stretching in precarious positions while in various stages of undress."

"Speaking of which-"

"No, I am not putting clothes on."


	9. Little Wing

**Traditional  
** Chapter Nine: Little Wing

-o-

Raven cursed under her breath and tapped her fingers on the counter. Of all the things she could be without tonight, _sugar_ had to be one of them. What a joke. She rubbed her forehead and looked through her cabinets for the sixth time, hoping she might find at least honey or _something_ to sweeten her bitter tea. But, like the other five times before, she found absolutely nothing anywhere in her kitchen. Groaning in defeat, she stood by the window and stared out across the courtyard to the brightly lit window on the other side of the building.

 _Jason_.

Well, she _could_ ask him for sugar.

Watching his window carefully, she could see his shadow against the wall, moving through the room, and something about the sight seemed to comfort her. It was as if knowing he was around seemed to make everything easier. Blushing just a little, she looked down at her tea kettle and took a deep breath, her mind just a little bit messy. What in the world was it about him that made her feel so… _scattered_ and disoriented? Without another word, she resolved herself to see him and walked out of her apartment and down the hall to the other wing of the apartment building.

As Raven moved closer to his apartment, she could hear jovial laughter and classic rock from the other side of the door, the sound of beer bottles clanking down on the wood of a table as a few low-brow comments came spilling out. Raven raised her hand and knocked, and after a moment, the door swung open to reveal Jason, standing in nothing more than a pair of boxer shorts that were just a _bit_ too small.

Blushing brightly, her eyes shot down the length of him in a surprisingly instinctive move, before landing on the bulge pushing against the tight, black fabric. Her heart fell into her stomach and she thought she might suddenly faint. Oh god, why in the world didn't he just _wear clothes_ , like normal people?

"Eyes up here, Little Bird." He grinned and leaned against the door frame.

Her stare shot up to that infuriating grin and she blushed even darker, stumbling over her words before setting on, "Hi."

Oh, she sounded like an _idiot_. Great.

"Hey." He laughed, locks of his dark hair falling into his eyes. His greeting was broken by a roar of laughter in his apartment, but it didn't seem to bother him. "So, what brings you here? Not that I mind or anything, it's just that you've never taken it upon yourself to see my apartment before. I'm happy to give you the grand tour if you're interested, but you might have to wait a bit, I've got-"

"Dude, are you folding or _what_?"

Jason winced and rolled his eyes. "-some really annoying idiots I occasionally call friends over."

He shifted his weight and Raven was reminded of how tall he was, practically towering over her as his muscles rippled and curled underneath his skin. Memories of the sight of him completely naked, doing the most _inappropriate_ yoga positions in her living room. Heart skipping a few beats, she lifted her stare back to his face and watched him lick his too-full lips.

"No." She pushed at her hair and looked away again, trying to avoid the sight of him in those black boxer briefs. "I… um… I'm out of sugar and hoped you had some."

Jason pressed his lips together and looked as though he were fighting back a roar of laughter. He rubbed his thumb along his jaw and nodded slowly, as if he didn't quite believe her explanation. "So…" He hummed slowly. "That was the best explanation you could come up with? I mean, really, Raven. You didn't even put any effort into it. I mean, there are so many better excuses for you to use to come and see me, and you thought of a 'cup of sugar'? You could at least be a little original. Say you wanted to see my furniture. You were avoiding your lesbian neighbors with their ten cats-"

"They only have six cats, and it's the truth, Jason!"

" _Please_ , a cup of sugar is the most cliche reason to meet your neighbor ever." He laughed and walked back into his apartment, motioning for her to follow. "But you know, if that's _all_ you came for, I'm happy to oblige. Come on in, meet the guys up close."

Guys? Up close?

Raven walked into his apartment and found herself looking at a table surrounded by a bunch of _incredibly_ attractive men, all in varying states of undress, as a pile of clothes grew in the middle of the table. It took her a few long seconds to put all the pieces together, but eventually she understood exactly what was going on. Oh god. They were playing strip poker… with _each other_?

"We didn't _want_ to strip… but we're all betting far more than we had, and so we're kind of paying the price." A lithe body with copper-colored hair turned and looked at her, aptly reading her shocked expression. "So… you must be Raven. We've heard all about you."

Jason nodded and motioned to the table. "Wally, Garth, Roy. Guys, this is Raven."

"Yeah, we gathered that much." Roy took a long swig of his beer and offered her a smirk that rivaled Jason's in devilish charm. "So, you're the cute one he writes those notes too." He jerked his thumb to the large pad of paper by the window. "'Little Bird' right?"

Raven blushed, and even Jason looked a bit sheepish. His friends knew about their little secret? She wasn't sure how she felt about them knowing. Part of her was a little offended that someone else found out, and yet there was still a part of her that was glad to know that he shared. It meant that their friendship wasn't something hidden and secretive.

Jason rolled his eyes. "Good job with that tact, dude."

"You're the one leaving the evidence all over your damn apartment. Your little notes all over the damn drawing pad open for everyone to see." Roy took another swig of beer and grinned up at Raven, his eyes bright and playful. "So, tell me, _Little Bird_ , what in the world do you see in this guy? It's just because he can't keep his clothes on, right?"

Raven's blush darkened. Well, Jason's state of undress didn't exactly _hurt_ their friendship.

"Roy, _jeez_. You're scaring her. Back off just a bit, man." Garth shook his head and flung a t-shirt from the middle of the table at him. "Calm down." He rolled his eyes and stood up, offering her a bright smile that reminded Raven of someone from the cover of a romance novel. "It's nice to meet you, finally."

Raven's cheeks blushed a little more and she . "I… I know you? Somehow?"

"Eh." He shrugged. "You've probably done bodyshots off my abs."

"I…" Raven's face flushed brightly and her eyes widened. "I think I would have remembered that."

" _You_ didn't, Raven, but your friends did. I distinctly remember that. These guys work at the bar." Jason was grabbing a container and the sugar from the cupboard, rolling his eyes as each of his friends were trying to fill the room with conversation with his "secret" friend. "I'm ashamed that sometimes I have to call them friends."

"Awe, come _on_ , you know you love us." Wally grinned and shoved a handful of potato chips into his mouth. "You couldn't imagine what your life would be without us."

"Easier, that's for sure." Jason snorted.

"Lonelier too." Roy took another long drink of beer and set it back on the table with a smack. "No one else is gonna put up with your shit."

"Yeah? Well, I hope you're using a goddamned coaster, Roy."

"What the fuck, mom? I'm a grown-ass man, I'm not gonna use a coaster. What's next, doilies?"

"It's called respect, damnit! If you're gonna be drinking in my house, using the furniture that I slaved over, then you're gonna use a coaster, or I'm gonna shove one so far up your-"

"Guys! There's a _lady_ present!" Garth rolled his eyes and flicked a penny at the back of Jason's head. "At least show some amount of respect."

Jason sighed and turned around to look at Raven, offering her a sheepish, apologetic grin. "Okay, sorry. Didn't mean to upset." He handed her the small container filled with sugar and shook his head. "Come on, Rae. I'll walk you back to your apartment."

Raven's cheeks flushed and she shook her head. "I think I'm okay, Jason. It's literally two hundred feet down the hall."

"Please let me come," he half-pleaded, his smiled teasing. "I need anything to get away from these three idiots for at least two minutes."

"Hey!"

Jason laughed and ushered Raven out the door, nudging her shoulder just a little as they both ignored the cackling from his friends inside. Shaking his head and muttering about them under his breath, Jason walked by her side as they made their way down the hall. Her heart suddenly felt sort of strange and light, and she could feel his warmth spreading over her in spite of his lack of adequate clothing. Shaking her head, she lifted her eyes to his own and sighed.

"Thanks for the sugar, I guess?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, well. Thanks for putting up with my friends. I know they're kind of jerks."

"They're just being friends." Raven laughed. "I just wished I didn't intrude."

"You didn't. Don't worry." Jason paused outside her door and looked down at her, rocking back on his heels with a soft smile playing over his lips. He shifted a bit and there was something in the way that he suddenly carried himself that made Raven's heart skip a few beats. Being around him was easy and fun and playful, and she hadn't felt this genuinely happy in so long she'd nearly forgotten what it felt like. Her heart sort of fluttered and trembled in her chest like a bird and she found she liked it.

Jason leaned over her a bit, reminding her of his height yet again. "So… sugar."

Her cheeks flushed. "I really did need it."

"I'll believe you this once." He smiled and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear with a chuckle. The touch was comfortable and friendly, but there was just a bit of tenderness behind it. His smile widened again. "Come by tomorrow if you need to borrow flour. I'll make sure I've got it ready for you, Little Bird."

* * *

 _Sorry for the wait! I hope it was worth it!_


	10. Brokenhearted

**Traditional**

Chapter Ten: Brokenhearted

-o-

Even in her drunken, hazy mind, Raven thought his eyes looked like the same color of the drink she was currently downing in one singular gulp. They were a deep, sort of endless green with flecks of something brighter that reminded her of malachite. And yet, in spite of this, there was something soft about them, something that felt safe almost - like home. Really, she could look into his eyes forever as they hovered above her, and he murmured something soft and gentle into her ear.

Raven shivered, and pulled her hand out of his grasp, shaking her head of those traitorous thoughts. She knew better than to be interested in someone like _him_. He was a rogue through and through, and even though he was charming and funny, and Raven enjoyed talking to him, there was something about him that was suspiciously _dangerous_. Besides, he was _annoying_. Absolutely annoying. Especially when he paraded around her stark naked and showed off his-

" _RAVEN!_ "

She jerked and shook her head again, her hands starting to tremble out fear that he had known exactly what she was thinking. Her eyes blinked, regaining focus as the sound of music reverberated down her spine, thumping along with the weighty feeling in her head. There was a flash a pain, almost like it was foreshadowing the things she would undoubtedly feel tomorrow morning after she woke up, but it didn't matter. She wasn't out here for her health, she was out here to drink _him_ away. Whatever it took, even if it meant downing every bottle of booze in this place.

Raven licked her lips and felt Jason wrap his hand around her wrist, pulling her away from the bar and weaving them both through the crowd. He was half mumbling under his breath, half trying to talk to her, but she couldn't hear him over the noise. The music continued to pulse and down her spine, gluing her to the spot as she raised her glass to her lips, taking the last dregs of liquor and ice before placing it on a random table as she walked by. Jason looked somewhere between annoyed and frustrated, and Raven couldn't quite put her finger on which emotion was reigning at that point. Not that it mattered anyway.

He waited until she was finished before pulling her to a side exit. The door in front of them was thrown open and he pulled her from the bar into the street, the sound and lights and people giving way to the sticky heat of midsummer. Sweat broke out onto her skin, and Raven pulled at the sleeves of her dress, wondering why in the world she had chosen something like _this_ to wear. She had a sudden desire to be completely naked and standing in an ice chest.

"Thanks, Jason."

Raven looked up to see her friends eyeing her carefully before looking back at her neighbor. Traitors. They should have been helping her forget _him_ , not sending her home with her nudist neighbor.

"It's not a problem."

"You'll make sure she gets home safe?"

"I will personally tuck her in bed."

Raven turned to see Kori and Karen looking at her with that pathetic 'I'm so sorry this happened to you' look, and she wasn't sure what she should do. So, instead of responding or thinking about exactly what had happened to her tonight, she stumbled a few steps away from her friends and sat down on a nearby bench. A few minutes seemed to pass, and she could hear snippets of Jason's conversation.

"…it was just a lot for her to handle…"

"What happened? Can I ask?"

"…maybe it's better if you ask her."

Raven's head fell into her hands and she stared at the pavement, watching a bug skitter across the sidewalk as if it had somewhere important to be. Her heart was twisting in her chest, yanking and pulling at her emotions to the point where Raven wanted nothing more than to go back inside the bar and drown in alcohol. Not feeling anything at all was so much easier than having to face the truth. The truth was disgusting and painful, and yet here she was looking it straight in the eyes and seeing it for what felt like the first time.

" _Little Bird_."

Raven lifted her head and looked up into those bright eyes, her lips tugging just a little as Jason held out his hand for her. He said nothing else, and he didn't push any farther than he needed to. He simply stood there and held out his hand, like a _gentleman_. Biting back a sigh, she closed her eyes and turned away, hoping he couldn't see her own frustration. Everything inside her was warring, not sure if she should take his hand or not. She wanted to be cautious and keep him at a distance, but he found his way so _easily_ in her life that it was practically impossible to remove him.

"Come on…"

Raven opened her eyes again, looking up into his face.

"…let's get you home."

Raven could feel her hand moving long before she willed it to, and without much thought, her hand slipped easily into his own. He smiled and pulled her to her feet, letting her teeter for a moment before she fell against his chest. She could feel the soft thump of his heart, and Raven felt him wrap his arms around her, pulling her close. He tucked her easily under his chin, his arms wrapping tightly around her waist until Raven felt like the world around them had faded far away. Her fingers tightened in the stretchy fabric of his shirt, and she rested her forehead against his collarbone.

"Look, Raven… I know we're not _best_ friends, but… if you ever need to talk…"

Raven closed her eyes again.

"…I'm only across the courtyard."

She nodded.

"Okay." Jason stepped back and looked down at her, placing a kiss to the top of her head. It was a gesture of warmth and happiness, and something about it soothed her. He tugged gently on her hand. "Can you walk by yourself?"

Raven shook her head, feeling the world around her start to spin into too many lights and colors and sounds. Jason shook his head and laughed, and before Raven knew what he was doing, he had knelt down in front of her, bringing her arms tightly around his shoulders. A bolt of lucidity seemed to clear her clouded mind, and Raven's face flushed brightly. He was out of his goddamned mind.

"You can't be serious."

He shrugged. "You can't walk. You said so yourself."

"I am not going to _ride_ you home."

Jason turned around slowly, the corners of his lips pulling up in a positively _devious_ smile. That sight alone made Raven realize _exactly_ what she had said, and suddenly her heart jumped into her throat. Face flushing bright red, she pushed at his shoulder and started to move past him, stumbling over her own feet. She just _had_ to respond to him, didn't she? Well, she was perfectly capable of making it the four blocks to her apartment, she just needed to-

The sidewalk seemed to suddenly loom up into her face, and before Raven really knew what was going on, her body was swept up into his arms. Jason held her tightly against his chest and looked down into her eyes, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Do you need me to carry you?"

"You're not carrying me three blocks!" Raven felt like her heart was going to explode and something tightened around her throat. Her head grew even more hazy and she struggled against his hold, trying to keep her mind together. It was too late though, between the scent of his cologne, the warmth of his body, and the last drink she downed, she was already losing herself. Her eyes flicked up to his face and she pursed her lips. "I cannot believe you."

Jason adjusted her in his arms and shook his head. "Why? Because I'm actually helping you out? Miss I-Can't-Feel-My-Own-Feet-Enough-To-Walk." He took a turn down a side street, the noise from the main road fading away. "Your friends asked me to take you home and take care of you, and that's what I'm doing… taking care of my completely and utterly drunk friend."

Raven glared, but Jason just shrugged.

"You'd do the same for me."

"No I wouldn't." She leaned against his shoulder and closed her eyes, letting herself forget why she was so drunk in the first place. It felt good to forget, and even better to be completely numb. "I'd let your ass lay in the gutter until you woke up."

"You wound me, Little Bird."

"You'll be fine."

His chuckle slipped into her veins, and Raven felt her lips curl up at the edge. Why was everything so much easier with him around? Her arms wrapped around his neck, resting against his shoulders as he turned down another side street, and Raven could feel the question press against his chest, almost as if it were trying to escape. She sighed and brushed her nose against his neck, taking in the scent of the hot summer night and his cologne again.

"I know you want to ask."

There was a brief pause, as if he considered pressing the issue, but he didn't. "I don't want to pry."

"Mm…"

He licked his lips, and the words finally spilled out. "…but what happened?"

He adjusted her in his arms and turned another corner, and Raven could see their apartment building just a little ways away. All she had to do was make it to her room and then she could lie down and forget that this day had ever happened. She might even open a bottle of wine, because _fuck feelings_. She closed her eyes again and let a soft, low sigh escape.

"I was the other woman."

Jason stopped walking, and Raven thought he might drop her. Her eyes shot open and she looked up into his face again, watching the anger and shock mingle into something volatile. It was as if she had somehow set off a kind of fuse inside him, like a bomb that was ready to blow at any second. His arms tightened around her and he pulled her even closer to his chest.

"Are you telling me that _you_ were the…"

"Side piece." Raven wiggled free of his arms and set herself down on the pavement before kicking off her heels. " _Yep_. I was his little toy the whole time. He's been engaged since before I met him, and this entire time he played me and his fiancee for a damned _fool_." Raven stumbled down the sidewalk, hunting through her purse for her keys. "He took fucking advantage of me and threw me into the garbage when his wedding approached. Because it's easier to cheat on a fiancee than it is on a wife."

"Raven…"

"And you know what's worse?" She stumbled through the courtyard of their building before setting herself down on the steps outside the main entrance. "You know what the absolute _shitty_ thing is? Is that in spite of all of that, I still fucking miss him. Like… like some kind of cheap date! Like I'm clinging to this complete and utter piece of _garbage_ and I still want it. I want it because for once in my whole fucking life he gave me someone I could relate to and love and… what the fuck is _wrong_ with me? I should loathe him with every fiber of my body and yet… I can't be anything other than mad at myself. I should have fucking seen it. I should have known. But I followed him like some fucking kitten needing a home."

Jason sat down next to her, but he didn't say anything. He sat there, in complete silence, and rested his hand on her knee. Warmth flooded her body again, and Raven turned to look into those malachite eyes, her heart fluttering against her ribs. Why did he have to be here? And why did he have to be looking at her like that? Not like she needed to be pitied, but that she needed to be protected. Raven swallowed air and she turned away, hoping to keep a hold on her thoughts. He was the only thing keeping her from drinking until she drowned in alcohol. Because even though she wanted to feel nothing at all, she still wanted to feel him.

"I just…" Raven's head fell into her hands and she stared at her bare feet. "I just want to be numb. I don't want to feel anything anymore."

"Raven…"

"Don't look at me."

" _Raven_ …"

She let go of an annoyed sigh and lifted her eyes to his face. He leaned close to her, resting his forehead against her own. His hand squeezed her knee and he nudged his nose softly against her own. It felt playful but intimate, as if there was something more that could easily happen if she just let it. If she could just let go…

"Let's get you to bed."

"I'm not a child."

"You need to go to sleep."

"You need to quit babying me."

Raven tried to stand up, but her legs forgot how to hold her weight and she pitched forward, nearly smacking her face on the ground again. But Jason caught her just in time, and hefted her over his shoulder as if she were nothing more than a sack of potatoes. He snatched her keys from her hand, picking up her heels from the pavement as he made his way up the rest of the steps to the front door.

"Enough arguing. It's time for _bed_ , Raven."

"You're such an asshole."

"I'm just taking care of you."

She looked at the back of his head, finding it so much easier to talk when she wasn't looking into those endless eyes. When she looked into his eyes, it felt like everything was going to escape all at once. At least when she avoided his face, she could pretend to control the situation. Sighing, she pressed her face into his back and groaned. "Will you at least stay with me?"

"Sure." He made his way up the stairs, hand resting on the banister. "I'll sleep on your so-"

"In my bed."

"Oh."

There was a slight falter in his step, and Raven suddenly cursed herself for not being able to see his face. Why was she cursed to make this so damned awkward? She should have turned it into a joke and tried to save herself before it became to awkward for either of them to handle. But she didn't. Instead she watched the floor slip by underneath his feet, and she began to count how many times she thought the pattern was repeated. Raven got to fifteen before Jason spoke again.

"I'm in my work clothes."

"So?"

Jason cleared his throat and another chuckle escaped. "I follow all the uniform guidelines."

"Which include…?"

"Going _traditional_ , as the name implies."

Oh. Well, _that_ question was finally answered.

"It's not as if I haven't seen your… _machinery_ before, Jason." She licked her lips, somehow managing to bite off the desire to follow up her observation with a few crude comments. "If you don't mind, I don't mind."

"That I'll be sleeping in your bed? Completely naked?"

The idea had merit, that was for sure.

"Just sleep." Raven lifted her head and looked at the floor again, feeling his pace slow. "I just need a little bit to remind myself that I am worth so much more than what he said I was, and that he's a fucking piece of shit." She licked her lips and closed her eyes. "I just need you to chase away the bad thoughts… just for a little bit longer."

There was another long pause, and she could hear her key sliding into the lock.

"Alright… but, I'm warning you, I sleep in the nude."

"Of course you do."


	11. Always

**Traditional**

Chapter Eleven: Always

Closing her eyes, she tried to stop the world from spinning, her fingers clutching lamely at the wall behind her. The world around her spinning in five hundred different directions as the alcohol pumped through her bloodstream. She felt like she was drowning in questions, one after another flooding into her mind, giving her little time to answer them before the next claimed its place and time there.

Why did he do it? Why her? How could she- Where were the si- His trip to Santa Fe- Had he- _When was this awful nightmare going to end?_

She breathed carefully through her mouth before fluttering her eyes open to see Jason maneuvering through the kitchen, filling a glass of water. "What are you doing?"

"You need water and painkillers and sleep, and I'm helping you get those things. Where do you keep your meds?"

"Bathroom mirror," she waved with an irritated sigh, leaning her head back against the wall. "You need to stop babying me."

"So you said," Jason muttered before moving past her to her bathroom. "Did you eat?"

"Did I eat what?" Her brows crinkled in confusion as she shifted from one foot to another uncomfortably. She was so hot! What was she wearing? And more importantly, why was she _still_ wearing it?

"Food. Something. Before you tried to drink your liver away," he called out to her, her mirror popping loudly as he opened it.

She moaned in response, trying to think of an answer as her hands reached the hem of her dress and pulled it, haphazardly over her head and tossing it somewhere in the room, walking towards the sound of his voice. "Is that judgement I hear, Mr. Bartender?"

"Just answer the question."

She frowned, unappreciative of his tone as her thumbs hooked at the top of her underwear and pushing them down her legs. "You work at a bar. You shouldn't be judging me."

"I'm not. I just want to know if you… Holy _shit_ ," he trailed as he turned out the bathroom in time to see her bra fall from her shoulders and to the floor, leaving her standing naked like Lady Godiva. His eyes traveled up and down her body, his hand shaking a little as if there was a physical war battling inside him.

She furrowed her brows and pursed her lips. "Hey… Eyes _up_ here _,_ " she ordered with a weak gesture to her eyes.

Blinking, he cleared his throat before handing her the glass of water and two pills, mumbling a "sorry" and averting his eyes to random spot on the wall as if he was genuinely fascinated by it. If the lights were on she would swear he was…

"You're blushing," the thought rolled out of her mouth before she could even think to stop it. "You. Mr. Should-join-a-nudist-colony is _blushing_ at me being naked?"

"Yes, well… I know how much you treasure your modesty," he huffed, still holding out the items in his hands to her. "Did you eat before you got smashed?"

"I did," she answered, taking the the glass and pills but never letting her eyes leave his face. It was actually quite interesting to see him like this, shy and docile, like a kid whose hand was catch in the cookie jar. He was always so cocky and arrogant and nearly impossible to deal with on a constant basis, it was nice to see him all clammed up.

Taking the two tablets, she lifted the glass to her lips and took a long swig, her eyes still locked on his form. Finishing the glass, she licked her lips with a sigh. "It's weird, being on this side of the fence. Normally, you're the one prancing around naked in my apartment and I'm the one trying to find something interesting on the wall."

His lips curled at one edge. "Is that your way of saying that you like-?"

"Of course, I do," she admitted before she could stop herself. _God,_ why couldn't she stop while she was ahead? "I mean, you should seriously thank whoever made you for… _That_."

"That?"

"All of it," Why couldn't she stop talking? "Your face, your body…"

"My _machinery_?" Jason added, his grin growing wider.

Raven bit her lip, finally finding the strength to shut her mouth and hold back the words she would never utter to anyone, least of all, him. Why was it so easy to be around him, and tell him truths she did not wish to speak of? Was she doomed to forever spill her guts to him and make everything more awkward than their whole relationship already was?

She pressed the empty glass into his chest. "Digging," she managed to say and nothing more _(thank god!)_ as she moved past him to her bedroom.

Ignoring his chuckle, she turned her focus to her feet that she could barely feel underneath her. Putting a little too much weight on her left foot, her ankle buckled and her hands flying out for the walls to stop her from falling, feeling pair of hands catch her hips. Raven rolled her eyes. "I got it, I got it. You can quit babying."

"Just taking care of a friend."

She hummed in response as she continued her trek, her fingertips outstretched for the walls in case she should lose her balance again. She refused to acknowledge Jason's hands still hovering around her, ready to catch her at any moment. Actually, it was almost comforting knowing that he was there - that she could just fall into his arms and he would catch her, holding her tight against his chest and keeping her safe.

She would never say that out loud though.

Stumbling over her feet a little, she made it to her bed, sliding into the soft, cool sheets as her muscles relaxed against the mattress. Sliding her eyes closed, she let out a sigh turned moan, her limbs kicking and spreading out over the sheets, a floating feeling tingling her senses.

"Well, you seem to be getting on just fine," she cracked an eye to see him standing away from her bed, his eyes staring at the black string of words posted above her bed. "I'll, er… see you in the morning."

"Wait," she called just as he turned for the door. "You said you'd stay with me."

"I am. In the living room," his voice shook slightly at the end of his sentence. As if he wasn't entirely sure of what he was saying. "Sleep ti-."

"In my bed," she repeated her words from earlier. Wincing from the words that seemed to scratch and claw their way out of her throat. "You said you'd stay with me In my bed and chase the bad thoughts away."

A second of suspended silence drifted between them. Two. She watched his shoulders drop slightly while he let go of the breath he was holding and looked over his shoulder at her. "…I did."

" _So…?_ " She lifted the blanket open for him to join her.

He hesitated for another second, taking a deep breath before he turned back around, his fingers curling around the hem of his shirt and lifting, his muscles rippling and stretching as he pulled the stretchy fabric over his head. _God_ , it was like he was photoshopped!

It was so surreal and flawless and perfect, she didn't know if she wanted to sculpt him or punch him in the stomach to see if it hurt.

She didn't have time to dwell on the thought, feeling his weight on the side of the bed, toying with the belts on his kilt. Maybe it was the booze in her system making her see things but she could've sworn his hands were shaking as he unclasped each belt, his usual confident demeanor waning at the edges.

She opened her mouth to speak. To say what - she wasn't sure. Maybe stop him, but before she could get a word out, he had opened his kilt and let it slip from his hips, leaving him just as bare as she was.

Lifting her sheets, he slipped into her bed, lying down and facing her, his bright malachite eyes locking with hers. Her heart slammed in her chest and her nerves boiled in her stomach, spreading up and out into her veins and tightening her throat. She swallowed as her body subconsciously curled and inched for his warmth. The smell of his cologne flooded her senses, and a small voice in the back of her mind hoped that the scent would linger on her pillow for days after.

"Comfortable?" He asked, his voice soft.

Nodding her head, she inched closer towards him. "You?"

"Yes," he shifted closer, their legs bumping into each other. He hissed. " _Aah!_ Cold feet."

"Sorry," a small giggle skirted her voice as she pulled her feet away from his but maintaining their closeness. "Thank you, Jason."

His brows crinkled together. "What for?"

"Being here. Coming to get me. Taking care of me," she leaned her face into her pillow, slight shame for her behavior and humility flooding her system. "Everything."

"Oh, _Little Bird_ ," his hand coming up to her face and push a rogue piece of hair from her face to behind her ear. "I will always be here for you."

Her eyes flicked to his, and time seemed to stand still. She stopped breathing, her eyes scanning every crevice and curve and scar of his face. Admiring how the moonlight from her window poured and fell on his skin, illuminating the white streak in his hair.

Without thinking about it, she lifted her hand to his streak and ran her fingers through his hair.

Somewhere in her was telling her this was wrong. He was a rogue, through and through. Dangerous and wild, and sure to leave her hurt at the bottom of a bottle. Just like _he_ did.

But there was something else in her that pined and ached…

Maybe it was the alcohol, or how close he was. Maybe it was his cologne and the warmth of his body - his _gorgeous_ naked body, lying next to her. Or maybe it was the way he looked at her like she was the only important person in the world. Perhaps it was a dangerous combination of all of these, but for a moment - just this moment where they were suspended in this timeless, dream-like, moonlit moment, alone and naked in her bed, she willed herself to forget who they were.

If just for a moment.

Her eyes drifted down to his lips, parted and waiting, as the memories she only replayed in her private moments flashed before her eyes.

"Do you ever…" She trailed, her fingers following the line of her gaze to his lips and tracing them with feather light touches.

"Do I ever what?"

"The kiss…" she whispered, dragging her eyes to flick up to meet his. Those malachite eyes that she had grown so accustomed to and yet still disarmed her. Why did he have to have those eyes? Why did he have to look at her like that? Like she was something precious. "Our kiss… Do you ever-?"

"All the time," he responded, answering the question on the tip of her tongue before she could fully form it. He leaned his head against her forehead and licked his lips. "I think about our kiss-."

" _All_ the time," she finished, her eyes falling back down to his mouth. Memories flooded her mind of his lips on hers. So slow and dragging and soft and strong and wonderful. The taste of his mouth, the smell of his skin, feel of his tongue running over her bottom lip. All of it. "So do I."

A second passed. Maybe two, and with a little push of bravery, she leaned her head up to his lips and the world disappeared into oblivion. It seemed her memory had failed her. His kisses weren't as good as she remembered it.

They were _better._

Slow and so full of passion as his lips moved against hers, matching her kiss for kiss. He tasted like caramel and fresh fruit and the flavor was addicting. His tongue licked at her lips as his hands slid over her sides, gripping and squeezing lightly at the curves of her hips and pulling her closer to flush against his body.

She let out a sigh turned moan as her fingers tangling themselves in the tresses of his hair and her leg hiked up over his hip, trying to scratch the persistent itch that burned underneath her skin. She bucked her hips against his, feeling that he too felt a similar itch.

Growing bolder, she rose above him, making him lie on his back as she straddled him, grinding her naked warmth along the length of him. He groaned between their mouths, his body shaky underneath her. She could feel his heart thrum wildly beneath her palms as they explored the planes of his chest, her lips never veering away from his.

Her skin was hot, prickling with a thin layer of sweat and her blood surged in her veins. Her body trembled in want and anxiousness, the feel of him quickly hardening between her legs slowly but surely driving her mad with salacious thoughts of what they could do.

She wanted this. She wanted him. As they were now, wrapped in a passionate embrace, a blend of endless, tangled limbs and heated mouths and electric desperation. Here, in this moment, she could forget what happened, what he was, what she was, what tomorrow's repercussions may be and just be.

And damn, it felt so _fucking_ good!

Her hips rolled against him rhythmically, his length hardening and twitching with every drag of their bare skin. His hands sliding and squeezing whatever they could reach as their kisses grew more and more desperate, their breaths heavy and volatile.

Her hands slowly slid down his chest, sinking lower and lower to his-

" _No!_ " He grunted, pulling his lips away from hers, and gripping her hips, almost painfully so that they remained still. He sealed his eyes and his jaw clenched as he was battling something within himself. "No… Not like this. We can't do this like this."

She furrowed her brows. "Like what?"

"You're drunk," he said, bluntly, opening his eyes. "And distraught. You don't know what you're doing ."

"I know what I'm doing."

" _Raven,_ " he called through clenched teeth, his hands gripping her hips harder to stop the slightest twitch of her hips.

"As much as I want this - _and God, do I want you_ …" He whispered to more to himself, his eyes dropping down to her body before snapping them back to hers. "We can't do this. I won't take advantage of you."

Raven shook her head. "You wouldn't be taking advantage of me."

"If I did this with you in this state, I would be and I'm not going too," Jason spoke a more forcibly. When Raven didn't move, he licked his lips and his eyes softened. "You're worth more than this, Raven."

Hearing her words from earlier that night repeated back to her snapped her back into reality. Jason was right. She was worth more than a drunken one night fix and _he_ was a fucking prick for ever thinking so. "I deserve more than this."

A small smile touched his face. "Yes, you do."

She nodded, her cheeks flushing pink in embarrassment at her behavior, still feeling him press at her between her legs, and the words that threatened to claw their way out her throat.

Jason seemed to notice this and tilted his head to the side. "What?"

Raven pressed her lips, looking away from his curious gaze and trying to fight the words. But the alcohol in her was still stronger than her restraint. "Will you still… At least… Hold me until I fall asleep?"

She didn't have to look down to see the slow grin spread on his face. She could hear it. "Yeah, Little Bird. We can cuddle."

She rolled her eyes at him as they shifted so that she was lying next to him with his arm cradling her to his chest. She sighed as she settled into his arms, splaying her hand out on his chest, his heartbeat thudding softly under her palm.

Her eyes fluttered closed when she felt his fingers stroke her hair, growing comfortable quickly in his arms. It was like they were two perfectly cut puzzle pieces, weird and jagged in some places but they seemed to fit.

She let out a small hum when she felt his lips brush her forehead, planting a soft kiss there. "How are you good at this _and_ be a good kisser?"

He chuckled, pressing his cheek on the top of her head. "Just lucky, I guess."

"You seem to be _very_ lucky in a lot of aspects," Raven pointed out, poking at one of his biceps and wiggling her hips just slightly towards the muscle between his legs, causing him to laugh in response. For once the sound didn't agitated her as she allowed a small smile to make its way to her face. "Jason?"

"Yes, Little Bird?"

"Thank you… For being my friend."

She felt his arms wrap tighter around her, bringing her closer, another kiss pressing to her temple. "Always, Raven. Always."


End file.
